Clothing With Concealed Crotch Opening

ABSTRACT

A garment having an opening in the crotch area, which can be along the crotch inseam, to allow for convenient access to the restroom without having to undress if wearing a one-piece garment or remove belts and untuck other clothing if wearing pants. The opening has a concealed closure device to open and close an opening in the crotch area. When open, the opening will allow the wearer to use the restroom with ease. When the opening is closed, the opening is inconspicuous.

PRIORITY

This application is related to and claims priority under 35 U.S.C.119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/894,365 filed onMar. 12, 2007 entitled “Clothing With Concealed Crotch Opening” by RuthOates the complete content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The current disclosure relates to one-piece garments, jumpsuits, skipants, bibs, coveralls, overalls, and pants in general.

2. Background

The conventional jumpsuit and other one-piece garments have beenwell-received by women but have always posed a problem of being veryrestrictive to take care of personal needs. For example, a female wearerneeds to almost completely remove a one-piece garment or jumpsuit to usethe bathroom. This can be inconvenient and time-consuming. Further, agarment with a concealed crotch opening would be particularly useful foruse with patients in assisted living facilities where adaptive garmentsare useful or necessary in dressing patients or attending to theirelimination needs.

Ski pants or full-body ski wear, foul-weather gear, or motorcycle gearcan have many bulky straps to hold it in place during the activity,which creates a hassle when the wearer needs to use the restroom. Inaddition, the wearer may not be in a convenient location to evenpartially remove the garment, as is common in some outdoor activities.

Infant's clothing can have fasteners on the inside seams of pant legs toallow easy access for changing a diaper. However, this is not practicalfor older wearers because they probably don't want a visible opening onthe crotch seam of their pants. In addition, a concealed opening mayneed to be robust enough to withstand the conditions against which thegarment is meant to protect. For example, ski wear would need aconcealed opening that still effectively keeps snow out of the wearer'sclothes.

What is desired, therefore, is an outer garment that can facilitate easyand hygienic access to tend to personal needs, while keeping such accessinconspicuous while the garment is worn normally.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a front view of a one-piece garment according to oneembodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 depicts a detail view of the crotch area of a one-piece garment,showing one embodiment using a concealed zipper that opens and closes anaccess opening.

FIG. 3 depicts a detail view of the exterior crotch area of a one-piecegarment, showing another embodiment using a concealed hook-and-loopclosure and an additional exterior concealing flap member over aclosure.

FIG. 4 depicts a detail view of the interior crotch area of a one-piecegarment, showing another embodiment using an additional interior memberhidden behind an access opening.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 depicts an article of clothing 102 that can have an opening 104along a seam of the crotch area, which can allow for convenient accessto the restroom without having to undress. Although depicted in FIG. 1as a one-piece jumpsuit, an article of clothing 102 can be coveralls,bibs, overalls, pants, or any other known and/or convenient garment.

FIG. 2 depicts a detail view of the crotch area of an article ofclothing 102. In some embodiments, an opening 104 can be locateddirectly on a seam of the crotch area. As shown in FIG. 2, an opening104 can be located directly on the inseam of a crotch area, but in otherembodiments, can be located on the center seam. An opening 104 canextend along the inseam across the crotch area or along the inseam onone side of the crotch area. In other embodiments, an opening 104 can bepositioned in any other known and/or convenient location in the crotcharea.

As shown in FIG. 2, an opening 104 can have a closure device 202 to openand close an opening 104. As shown in FIG. 2, a closure device 202 canbe a zipper, but in other embodiments, a hook-loop fastener, buttons,snaps, hooks or any other known and/or convenient closure device can beemployed to securely close the opening.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, an opening 104 can have atleast one additional exterior member 302 to further conceal an opening104 and can be a crotch access panel. In some embodiments, a shown inFIG. 3, an exterior member 302 can be affixed to the exterior of anarticle of clothing 102 on one side of an opening 104, cover an opening104, and attach with a hook-and-loop fastener, snaps, buttons, hooks, orany other known and/or convenient attachment device to the opposite sideof an opening 104. In other embodiments, an exterior member 302 can alsorest over and cover the exterior of an opening 104 without an additionalattachment device.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, an interior member 402 canshield a wearer from discomfort caused by contact with a closure device202, as well as assist in covering an opening 104 from the inside of anarticle of clothing 102. An interior member 402 can be affixed to theinterior of an article of clothing 102 on one side of an opening 104,cover an opening 104 on the inside of an opening 104, and attach with ahook-and-loop fastener, snaps, buttons, hooks, or any other known and/orconvenient attachment device to the opposite side of an opening 104. Inother embodiments, an interior member 402 can also rest over and coverthe interior of an opening 104 without an additional attachment device.An interior member 402 can be made of waterproof and easy-toclean-material, in case an interior member 402 became accidentallysoiled when the wearer is using the restroom. An interior member 402 canbe made of plastic, nylon, polypropylene, or any other known and/orconvenient material.

In use, a wearer can open an opening 104, allowing a wearer to attend topersonal needs with ease. When finished, an opening 104 is closed andcan be inconspicuous. In embodiments having an additional exteriormember 302, a wearer can further cover an opening 104. An opening 104can give freedom to the wearer from having to dress and undress whenusing the restroom or tending to other personal needs. It can allows thewearer to enjoy the athletic or protective advantages associated with aone-piece garment, bibs, or pants while not having the inconvenience ofhaving to practically undress to use the restroom.

Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specificembodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modificationsand variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.Accordingly, the apparatus as described and hereinafter claimed isintended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variationsthat fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.

1. A garment comprising: a. an opening in the crotch area that can beopened and closed with a closure device; b. said opening beinginconspicuous when closed and the garment is worn in a normal manner. 2.The garment of claim 1, wherein said closure device is selected from thegroup consisting of: zipper, hook-and-loop, snap, button, hook.
 3. Thegarment of claim 1, wherein said opening is located substantially alonga seam in the crotch area of said garment.
 4. The garment of claim 3,wherein said seam is an inseam.
 5. The garment of claim 4, wherein saidclosure device is selected from the group consisting of: zipper,hook-and-loop, snap, button, hook.
 6. The garment of claim 2, furthercomprising an interior member affixed to at least one point to theinterior of said garment.
 7. The garment of claim 5, wherein saidinterior member is made of a waterproof and easy-to-clean material. 8.The garment of claim 2, further comprising an exterior member affixed toat least one point to the exterior of said garment.
 9. The garment ofclaim 4, further comprising an interior member affixed to at least onepoint to the interior of said garment.
 10. The garment of claim 8,wherein said interior member is made of a waterproof and easy-to-cleanmaterial.
 11. The garment of claim 4, further comprising an exteriormember affixed to at least one point to the exterior of said garment.